HANDS OFF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS!
ICHRP-US Expresses Solidarity with Karapatan, Ibon,
and Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Amidst Attacks
The United States Chapter of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP-US) denounces the vilification of human rights organizations and human rights defenders in the Philippines. In the last week alone, in addition to the constant vitriol against progressive groups and partylists in public spaces, there was a press conference by the Philippine Government, as well as statement being circulated amongst media groups by a US-trained General, Antonio Parlade, naming organizations and specific people in their tirades against the mass movement in the Philippines.
The red-tagging of human rights organization, Karapatan; research institution, the Ibon Foundation; and church organization, Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) is further proof of the desperation of a fascist regime. Organizations and advocates who fight on the behalf of the oppressed masses should not be subjected to red-tagging simply for doing what the government fails to do. The Duterte administration is afraid of the power and legitimacy of these organizations which garner world-wide support for their work to expose and address state-sponsored human rights violations. This comes at the same time as the Philippines officially withdrew from the International Criminal Court – the world’s only permanent war crimes tribunal.
